Panthers players star at 2015 IIHF World Championship
Florida Panthers rookie defenseman Aaron Ekblad added a gold medal to his growing list of accolades after Canada's 6-1 victory over Russia at the 2015 IIHF World Championship on Sunday.
On a team loaded with talented veterans, Ekblad, one of three finalists for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year, did more than hold his own as the 19-year-old led all defenseman with four goals and ranked fourth overall in points (7) throughout the roughly two-week event in Prague, Czech Republic.
"This has been a fantastic experience," Ekblad told HockeysFuture.com. "We've gone through a lot of ups and only a few very short downs. We were always able to regroup and refocus and then succeed. It's quite an attest to our coaching staff and its ability to always turn us around and keep us focused. Offensively and defensively we showed throughout the tournament why Canada is the best."
While Ekblad may have captured this year's top prize, the entire Panthers organization should be feeling like a winner after how well each of its six players performed at the annual tournament.
Jaromir Jagr (Czech Republic), Jusski Jokinen (Finland), Aleksander Barkov (Finland), Tomas Kopecky (Slovakia), Dmitry Kulikov (Russia) and Ekblad combined to score 18 goals and 38 points while playing pivotal roles for their respective nations.
Jokinen, who signed a four-year deal with the Panthers last summer, led Finland in scoring with 11 points in eight games played while also serving as captain. Barkov, who scored a career-best 16 goals this past season, notched four goals and seven points playing alongside Jokinen on Finland's top line.
Kopecky, who will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, recorded a goal and an assist is six games while captaining Slovakia for the first time in his international career.
Kulikov, who earned his second World Championship silver medal in Russia's loss to Canada, registered two assists and a plus-8 rating in 10 games. He also logged a team-high 20:51 in the championship game.
Jagr, who came out of international retirement for the event, was voted the tournament's most valuable player after scoring six goals and nine points in 10 games. At 43 years and 76 days old, he became the oldest player to score a goal at the World Championship on May 1 against Sweden.
Following the Czech Republic's 3-0 loss to the United States in the bronze-medal game, Jagr announced that he would once again be hanging up his skates and retiring from international competition.
"I don't really have any more emotions," Jagr told reporters after the game. "I don't even play with emotion when I play. I think emotion can kill you. You have to stay cool all the time no matter what happens. But it was nice to see that the fans enjoyed the hockey in our country. We knew that before: our fans are crazy about hockey. They all wanted to play, they all wanted to coach. They all understand it -- or at least they think they understand it. [laughs]"
Throughout the entire tournament, Jagr was treated more like a rock star than a hockey player as he competed in front of a rabid home crowd in his native Czech Republic.
Chants of "Jar-o-mir Jagr!" often accompanied his stellar play on the ice and followed him as he exited for the final time. It was a fitting way to end a storied international career and a more than acceptable sendoff in Jagr's eyes.
"No, I don't think I can top that," Jagr said. "Finishing at home, even though we didn't get the medal. Finishing at home in my country, I think it's time to go. I still love the game, but it's kind of tough to play with guys who are 20 years younger than me. They've got different thinking than me."
As for the future, Jagr, who signed a one-year extension with the Panthers in April, now has only one championship on his mind.
"I believe we've got enough of a good team over there [in Florida] that let's take a chance, let's take a shot at the Stanley Cup," he said.
You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.
